Earlier this month, the American Anthropological Association released a statement on gun violence, on behalf of their members, which number more than 11,000.

“Since it is necessary to understand a problem in order to solve it, there is an urgent need for research by social scientists, public health experts and others into the relationship between guns and public safety and into measures that might reduce the number of lives lost to gun-related violence every year.”

The letter addresses the history of public funding for research in the U.S. and the disruption of gun research at the Centers for Disease Control in recent decades, adding that ‘the U.S. government seems to be actively impeding it.”

The letter calls on Congress and the Administration to stop obstructing knowledge about guns and public safety and make additional federal funds available to reduce the tragic loss of life in incidents involving guns.